Ireland seeks "bad bank" board as vote looms

* Ads published in newspapers looking for board members

* Govt seeks to soothe investor concerns over bad bank delay

DUBLIN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The Irish government on Tuesday started recruiting board members to a planned 54-billion-euro ($79 billion) "bad bank" and sought to soothe concerns over delays to the scheme, which it hopes will kickstart the economy.

Shares in top Irish banks -- which will transfer their risky property loans to the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) -- fell sharply last week on concerns over a possible delay to the parliamentary approval of the scheme.

"The early establishment of NAMA is of critical importance," Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said in a statement drawing attention to the advertisements for the NAMA board placed in Tuesday's main broadsheet newspapers.

"That is why we have sought expressions of interest for appointment to the NAMA Board at this time and in advance of the anticipated enactment of the NAMA Bill," he added.

Lenihan have been trying to reassure markets since last week, saying the law to set up the agency would be enacted by the middle of November, with commencement of loan transfers before the end of the year.

Some investors have remained worried, however, with shares slipping again this week as traders cited slow progress on NAMA compared with Britain's efforts to clean up the banking sector. [ID:nWLA7162]